Nostalgia Meets Fashion: Chums Explores Retro-Gazing with Decades That Defined Our Generations
19th Apr 2024 Fashion & Beauty
3 min read
What is it that makes you a Millennial or a Gen Xer? Each generation has different collective memories and experiences of the past, from man first landing on the moon to Michael Jackson’s moonwalk.
In their latest campaign, Liverpool-based
clothing brand Chums researched the top films, music, fashion trends
and historic moments from each decade to find out how they influenced the
characteristics of every generation.
GET YOUR 60S GROOVE ON
The
60s was an era of social change, led by Baby Boomers – those born in the baby
boom after World War 2.
Fashion in
the 60s followed the cultural move towards more freedom as clothing became more
casual and youthful. The defining look of the 60s was Mary Quant’s miniskirt.
Other popular styles of the time include Hubert de Givenchy’s babydoll dress
and Geoffery Beene’s minimalist designs.
"Paisley
print was a fashion hit that first took hold on more modern times during the
1960s-70s as part of the eastern inspired trend kicked off by icons such as The
Beatles. Originally it came from Kashmir Princes as a royal gift of friendship
and if used well, it can add a touch of royal glamour to many an outfit today."
– Philippa Brooks, Chums Fashion Buyer
THE 70S LOWDOWN
Those who
lived through the 1970s may remember the bold colours and patterns used in men
and ladies' clothing, for example on Diane von Fürstenberg’s wrap dress and
Ralph Lauren’s polo shirts. Designers such as Bill Gibb created midi-length
floral dresses, combining 60s hippie style with historic looks. Other notable
fashion designs included Kansai Yamamoto’s ‘Tokyo Pop’ suit and Giorgio
Armani’s reintroduction of the bomber jacket.
"Flares
were an absolute iconic fashion trend of the ‘70s with global mega stars such
as Abba, Tom Jones and Slade being photographed with their trademark flares.
Saturday Night Fever showed how they could be seen as glamorous too and cement
their place in our fashion history.” – Hayley Stockdale, Chums Fashion
Buyer.
With fewer
restrictions on what could be shown on screen, two of the highest grossing
films of
TOTALLY RAD 80S
One of the most iconic fashion
pieces of the decade was Princess Diana’s crinoline skirt wedding dress,
designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel. Taking place in 1981, Charles’ and
Diana’s wedding was a key event of the 80s, attracting a television audience of
over 750 million across 74 countries. Another notable fashion trend this decade
centred on was women starting to wear less conservative clothing, as
exemplified by John-Paul Gautier’s cone bra corset dress and Donna Karan’s line
of body-conforming clothing. Other pieces in our top five include Miuccia
Prada’s classic nylon backpack and Patrick Kelly’s mismatched button dress.
"Nothing
screams 1980s like the shoulder pad, especially for women who took a more
delicate masculine approach to their wardrobe as they left domestic life for
the city. TV series Dallas was the epitome of shoulder pad heaven!” –
Phillippa Brooks, Chums Fashion Buyer
THE 90S WERE DA BOMB
"Denim has been around for a long time as
a fabric that could take a tough time and still look good. But during the 1990s
designers took on this fabric and took it to another level to create the
‘designer jean craze’. You just weren’t cool without a pair of black or stone
washed jeans to wear!” – Hayley Stockdale, Chums Fashion Buyer.
Denim was a
big feature of 90s fashion, but clothing classics went far beyond this too.
Grunge became a popular style as men and women opted for more casual clothing,
with Marc Jacobs designing a ‘Grunge collection’. Corset tops gained popularity
during this time with pieces such as Vivienne Westwood’s portrait corset and
Thierry Mugler’s ‘Harley Davidson’ bustier. Two of the designers of the 90s who
created pieces that still influence what we wear today were Vera Wang and
Gianni Versace. Vera Wang’s wedding dresses offered a modern, elegant look,
while Gianni Versace pioneered metal mesh panels in clothing, which are still
popular now.
WASSUP 00S?
There were some iconic looks in the 00s, such
as Alexander McQueen’s Oyster dress and the dress Michelle Obama wore for the
2009 Inaugural Ball, designed by Jason Wu. Y2K fashion favourites included low
rise jeans, cropped tops, Hedi Slimane skinny ties and Calvin Klein military
coats. Fast fashion also became popular during this decade, with high street
copies of designer styles being produced quickly and cheaply. Some designers
even collaborated with fast fashion brands, such as Karl Lagerfeld’s collaboration
with H&M in 2004.
"Velour
tracksuits were a trend born from California that was embraced by socialites
such as Paris Hilton and the Kardashians, with baby pink being the most popular
colour. Rap stars and gangsters, such as John Gotti were never seen without a
velour piece on them during these years. However, it was probably most
remembered for Juicy Couture with their trademark across people’s bottoms that
caught the most attention!” – Phillippa Brooks, Chums Fashion Buyer